The American National Standards
Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary consensus standards
system, has announced that it has been awarded a grant of $500,000 from
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of
the Commerce Department’s Technology Administration, to further “U.S. interests
in areas of international standardization and conformity assessment”—technical
areas that define the terms of access to global markets.

Henry Line, chairman of the ANSI International Committee, said: “Inasmuch
as standards are the common denominator in addressing the demands imposed
by market forces, it is imperative that U.S. technology be appropriately
positioned in all of the global forums wherein requirements are being articulated.
The grant from NIST will assist in ANSI’s efforts to position the U.S.
at the forefront of the international standards-development community.”

As the official U.S. member to the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) and to the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC), ANSI is
an advocate for U.S. interests in the international standards-development
arena. The institute is responsible for U.S. representation in all of the
activities of the ISO and IEC and votes on all proposed international standards
under development by these two organizations. More than 130 nations are
ISO members; IEC membership totals 60 countries.

Among the U.S.’s top 10 trading partners, levels of government support
for national standards organizations in 1995 ranged from nearly 4 percent
for the U.K. to 100 percent for Japan, Mexico, China, and South Korea.
The $500,000 grant from NIST is equivalent to almost 3 percent of ANSI’s
annual budget.

ANSI pays combined dues of almost $2 million per year to ISO and IEC
and expends another $2 million per year in support of international programs
and efforts. ANSI will allocate the grant money to help pay ISO and IEC
dues and to support its participation in the organizations’ policy-making
bodies.

Funds were made available with the active support of the House Committee
on Science, which authorized the funding that was appropriated by Congress
in NIST’s fiscal year 2000 budget. Congress specified that the grant be
used solely for international standards activities.

“The grant is a symbol of the strengthened link between the public and
private sectors,” said Robert J. Hermann, chairman of the ANSI board of
directors. “Through the hard work, support, and determination of many ANSI
members, in particular the initiative of NIST and other government agencies,
we have been able to demonstrate the critical importance of a cooperative
relationship between industry and government in advancing U.S. interests
internationally.”

“Regular U.S. representation at the grass-roots level and in key policy-setting
committees is critical to ensure consistency of international standards
with U.S. standards and practices,” said NIST director Ray Kammer. “Just
as many nations are doing, we must be alert to the potential that competitors
will use international standards to advance their economic interests and
to impede other countries’ access to export markets. The grant will help
ANSI to represent the U.S. effectively in ISO and IEC and in the regional
activities that often result in international standards.”

“This grant is a significant step forward in promoting and maintaining
U.S. and ANSI participation in international standards work. It provides
partial government support for our important international efforts without
introducing government ‘control,’” said ANSI president and CEO Mark W.
Hurwitz.